Day 3 TPE

Today is a slightly relaxing day.

Breakfast was at the famous or infamous tuition street bordering along Guanqian road, Xuchang street, Xinyang street and Nanyang street. This is as such because of the number of shops that are offering lessons for students be it English, Japanese or others. Of course another reason people go there is for the breakfast. There is a number of breakfast store around that area especially Nanyang street. But what you cannot find there is the famous Dou Jiang You Tiao but slightly western breakfast. So we had sandwich and as well Dan Bing, or Egg Omelette. Ought to try it for breakfast. There is a famous store at Nanyang Street call Da Si Fang for Dan Bing but the bad thing is that you have to stand just for the breakfast. So I chose to eat at the shop on the right.

This is why this place is call tuition street by the look at he classes offered

Look at the price! No wonder it is able to gain the support of the office worker nearby

On your right is the dan bing.

After breakfast was a visit to the Presidential Office. Unlike the Istana, which is only open on public holiday, this is open almost everyday. The reason was that it is classified as a historic monument and ought to be opened up for visit. So I walked from the breakfast location to the Presidential Office. The entrance is at Bo’ai road where you can see barricade being set up for people. Do bring your passport along so that they can verify you and grant you entry. Then there is a bag check as well, so do not bring any illegal item. However, they would require you to drink a sip of your water to prove that it is not chemical. Most weekdays are open except for public holiday and is open from 9am to 12pm but last entry is 1130. However, the visit to presidential office is only partial meaning that you will visit the first floor of the presidential office. There is also the full visit meaning that you can see other part of the presidential office like the hall where they have inauguration ceremony for president. But the full visit is not fixed. More information can be found at the website: http://english.president.gov.tw/Page/124. The good thing of the visit is that there will be a guide that will be describing the building and the artefacts. They are volunteers. Mine was the ex-building manager who had retired and returned to volunteer as a guide. So it was quite interesting when he shared some internal story that he gained in his work. At the end of the visit, there is a postal office where you can buy postage stamps as souvenir of the visit. Also there is a gift shop as well.

The Presidential Office. The entrance is at the top right corner from this photo.

A replica of the Presidential Office

By the light you can tell who is in the office and who is not.

A replica of the office of the President.

Some letter signed by the president

This picture is to hope that the president can work horse work cow in Chinese means hardworking

Painting of President Tsai and her favourite cat

Heavily emphasis by the Taiwanese, the constant belief that people have the power through voting

Postal office inside the Presidential Office

After the visit to the presidential office was the visit to the National Taiwan Museum and Land Bank of Taiwan Exhibition Hall. The good thing of the visit is that it cost only 30TWD to visit the two buildings. National Taiwan Museum is located in 228 Peace Park along Xiangyang Road while Land Bank Museum is just opposite.

National Taiwan Museum

Land Bank of Taiwan Exhibition Hall

At the National Taiwan Museum, there was the exhibition of the rock of Formosa. Formosa is the old name of Taiwan. In the exhibition there is different display of rocks found in Taiwan area and even some pattern in the rock which seems to look like a painting. On the second floor is an exhibition of the animals in Taiwan. I would say that National Taiwan Museum is not that fantastic.

Rock Exhibition at the museum. The rock patterns show a picture 

Second floor, the animal museum, this showing the food chain

At the Land Bank of Taiwan Exhibition Hall is relatively nicer covering two aspects, natural history and the history of the bank. So you can see dinosaurs fossil and even animals specimens at the natural history part while you can see archives and materials dating the bank. The most interesting part was the treasury part of the bank, where efforts are made to conserve the safe deposit box to keep it in the original look to give visitors a sense of how the treasury look like from the inside. So if you ever want to visit an old bank and wonder how does it look like from the inside, Land Bank is the place to go. Oh yes do remember to “update” your bank book. Outside of the treasury, there is a machine which allows you to update your bank book. Of course not the real one. They have a special card for you to update using the machine. So the feeling is close to the locals as well as the machine is the same as the local would use when they update their bank book.

 

The entrance to the treasury, where you will visit the history of the bank

The safe deposit box that is kept by the museum

Money handled by the bank then

Fossils of a dinosaur

Fossil of dinosaur eggs

How did the reception look like in the old bank

Lunch was nearby at Yanping Road call Dongyi Pork Chop. Slightly costly but the portion is huge close to how their Bento would look like. If you call their pork chop rice or chicken thigh rice. You will receive a Lu Rou Fan (braised pork rice) with vegetable and another plate with your meat. There will also be Soup as well. However you need to keep your peeled as the sign on the left is hidden behind a fence while on the right is near to the road. Thus, you can easily walk pass it.

 

This is the sign board to look out for the restaurant

Of course to come here must try the pork chop rice

After lunch just walked down somemore to Snow King where I had my dessert. The dessert is famous for uniquely flavoured ice-cream. If you are on the adventurous mode, why not try their ice cream that taste like Ma You Ji (Sesame Oil Chicken) for example. The boss are relatively kind and approachable to talk to as well. However the price are relatively steep

 

Do not be fooled by the shuttered 1st floor, the dessert store is on second floor

The different flavours of the ice cream

This is how the ice cream look like

After lunch was a walk around this part of Taipei along Sec 1 Wuchang Street where is filled with places to shop. I chose to visit the postal office there as well. There you can visit a short history of the museum on the second floor and take 3 stamps from overseas and buy postage stamps as souvenirs from the first floor. I will let the photo do the rest of the talking.

This is the sign board toward the museum at the postal office

 

The in thing now, the letter to the future

Just outside of the post office is the camera street. The signboard is a giveaway that it is camera street

Walk to the library at Zhongsan. They have a steriliser for you to sterilise the book before you borrow

Dinner was at Shilin Night Market. Take the red line to Jiantan MRT station. When you come out of the station turn right and walk to the traffic light. At the traffic light, diagonal of you will be the night market area. I had difficulty finding this night market as it was different from my memory. I was trying to find the building which houses the night market on the basement 1 and clothing shop at 1 floor. However, that was 10 years ago so of course, time change and that building is no longer there. Or should I say that the night market have shifted and they are at the new location, present location and that’s why is different from my memory. Of course they have a building which has a food area at the basement keeping with the tradition of the old building. But, I would recommend you not to go there as the food choice is limited, around the building there is a lot of food to choose from.

 

This is the entrance if you walk down somemore from the MRT

Telling you where the building is for the food area

Of course this is the 1st floor of the food street, the clothing and stuff are here

The night market view from the MRT 

 

 

That’s day 3!

Day 2 TPE

Today is a hectic day as it was the day as it was the day to go to Shifen, Jiufen and Keelong Miaokou Night Market.

I wanted to try Sihai Doujiang Wang for breakfast, but apparently, it is closed due to public holiday.

 

The train station main square where you can buy your ticket or you just chill here, apparently there was a concert here too. At every o’clock, the train under the clock will move

 

 

The signboard which will tell you which platform to go for your train.

 

I took the 0825 train from Taipei Station to Ruifang Station, reaching about 0913 at Ruifang. As the timing for the train to Shifen only comes at 1003, it is recommended to walk around Ruifang Station which I did. You can walk from the back of station, which is their old street then loop to the front of the station. The back of the station looked dead at the time probably due to the public holiday. However, at the front, there is a few breakfast store which you can have your breakfast too.

 

 

You know you are at the right place for Shifen,  when you see the sky lantern decoration 

 

 

How the train looks like

 

Time to deviate abit. For the whole trip from Taipei to Ruifang, from Ruifang to Shifen, Easy Card can be used. However, if you intend to stop at every stop along the Pingxi line, where Ruifang and Shifen are connected, especially to visit Pingxi old street at Pingxi Station, you can buy the one day ticket. I am unsure of the cost of the one day ticket. However, for those using Easy Card, the trip from Taipei to Shifen is 61TWD, 44TWD for Taipei to Ruifang, 17TWD for Ruifang to Shifen. 

At the Ruifang station, platform 3, where you board the train to Shifen, you can also buy souvenir related to Shifen and Jiufen as well. Time comes for the 1003 train, there are quite a lot of people who board the train so if you are slow, then there will be no seat for you. But the number of people could be atttributed to the public holiday. At about 1037, you would reached Shifen. No need worry, they may not announce other station it passed by, but it will definitely announce Shifen. Alighting time comes, it was quite messy at that time, all the people who board the train at Ruifang alights at Shifen. Thus, there will be a group of people who will alight. To reach the station to exit, you need to cross the track to the station.

Once you are out of the station, you can start to explore, you will find lots of food store, and as well lots of people selling sky lantern for you to let go. Sky lantern is a means of wishing by Chinese. They believed that by writing your wish on the lantern and letting it go, your wish will be read by the God. So you will see that a group of people who are writing on the lantern and letting it go once they are done on the track. There will be another group who will be taking photo on the track. No need worry, is safe to be the track, just follow the rest, if they are on the track means it is safe. But if you see people leaving or announcement to leave the track then better leave the track.

 

Standing and walking on the train is normal. Instagram photo idea here.

 

 

Letting go of sky lantern

 

 

What kind of categories of wish is each colour for.

 

 

Look like this is useless

 

If you are adventurous and decide to visit the waterfall at Shifen, is also possible. Just walk straight till you see an uphill road, walk up and continue to walk straight and straight and straight and straight till you reach the visitor centre. You can decide to take the adventurous route or the less adventurous route. But I would recommend you take both so that you can see different stuff. For the adventurous route, it would be take a left turn at the visitor centre and your adventure start with a suspension bridge. Then you will first pass by a smaller waterfall, they call it Yanjing waterfall, or Spectacle waterfall. Then walk another suspension bridge which runs parallel to the train track. You will first pass by an area for couple and a food area. Straight some more you will find the Shifen waterfall. You can walk further to a vantage point to take photo of the waterfall. But most people stop here to take photo. The less adventurous route would be straight ahead on the road. You can walk on the road as the road is blocked off and no bus can go in or car. then is straight into the forest. This route requires a bit of climbing up and down but it is relatively straight forward.

 

Apparently, you can rent a motorcycle to the parking lot outside of the waterfall if you do not want to walk too much. You do not need a license, just need a gut to ride. The store is close to the end of the shops on the side of the train station.

 

A relative simplistic map for you to go to the waterfall

 

 

When you see this, just cross the road and walk straigh somemore

 

 

When you see this, just go straight and do not take the left fork

 

 

 

The suspension bridge with the visitor centre as the background

 

 

This is the first waterfall, Yanjing Waterfall

 

 

The second suspension bridge which will lead you to the Shifen Waterfall. The chinese name confirms it. Literal translation View Waterfall Suspension Bridge

 

 

Couple area, can take photo. It means to love each other forever, the chinese words. 

 

 

After the couple area and the food area, you will see this board, another simplistic map telling you that the waterfall is near

 

 

Note the opening time. This board shows the border between the park area and the waterfall

 

 

The waterfall!

 

 

If you come by the other way, this is the entrance to the waterfall

 

 

Signboard outside the less adventurous route, relatively straighter route compared to the adventurous route which is at the top of the brown route

 

 

No entry to vehicle, this is the route leading in to the less adventurous route

 

After the waterfall, it was lunch. We had lunch near to the place on the uphill place. It sells Xiaolong Bao, GuoTie and Lu Rou Fan. Relatively cheap and relatively good.

 

 

 

Lunch, you will spot it when you walk to the waterfall.

 

 

 

Sky lantern burning up. You will spot auntie picking up the bamboo rim for use on other new sky lantern

 

 

Alighting the train and crossing the track to the station. Look the number of people

 

From there, we waited for the 1345 train back to Ruifang reaching at 1412. From Ruifang, you exit by the front of the station turn left, cross the road and walk straight till you see a bus stop, call district square in front of the postal office. You can wait for bus there to Jiufen. The buses are 788, 856 and 1062. As with Shifen, there are quite a lot of people who visit Jiufen. So when the bus come, you need to “rush” or you will have to wait for the next bust. To note, the cost is 15TWD. So if there is someone who comes and ask you take their taxi, you will know how much it cost and not blindly take the taxi as it normally overcharge. Is relatively fast to travel from Jiufen to Ruifang. When you reach Jiufen, you just follow everyone or turn left and you will reach the entrance for Jiufen old street. The opening is beside 7-11. Then you will get to eat food and people will buy their souvenirs there as well especially at A-Shin shop. I did not explore much within Jiufen. After you are done, come out by the same entrance you went in, turn right towards 7-11, climb upwards to the bus stop. Note, the bus stop has different sectios for different people going to different destination. To Taipei, to Keelung/Ruifang and to some carpark. So note to queue up at the right place.

 

 

Signboard telling you how to go to the bus stop to take bus to Jiufen

 

 

Here you can take the bus to Jiufen

 

 

Entrance to Jiufen old street

 

 

Inside of the old street

 

 

Different waiting area to different places

 

 

 

Beautiful scenery at Jiu fen rain(on top) and after rain(below)

 

 

To go to Keelung Miaokou Night Market, is just take bus 788. It will lead you to Keelung area. Do not stop at the train station but rather stop at a stop before the train station, which is Xinyi Road (Xinyi Lu). So if you reach early for the night market, you can walk around Xinyi road. There are shops when you turn left after alighting the bus stop which you can shop around there. To go to the night market, just cross the traffic light and walk straight and you will reach the night market. Try to spot the Keelung sign on a hill when you cross the road and it looks like the Hollywood sign. Like Ningxia Night Market, it is rather cram. But the difference is that, when you enter from the bus stop, you will reach an area that sells clothes, electronics and even to play game before you reach the food area.

 

 

This is the “entrance” of the night market

 

 

Try spotting this

 

 

The entrance if you come by Xin Yi Lu

 

 

 

 

The entrance if you come by the train station or from Ai San Lu

 

 

I like the lantern decoration on top of the store here as it is also shows its difference from other night market.

 

 

Probably how this night market got its name. Miaokou in miao means temple

 

 

A simplistic map but a bit unhelpful to guide you to the train station

 

 

A slight better map telling you how to go to places from the train station, taken at the train station. The yellow thing with in the white area is the train station. The blue is the sea. On the right of the blue, out of the picture is the night market.

 

From the night market to the train station is rather complicated, I feel. It has moved from its original location to the new place at Keelung Train Station (South). Thus, for me I chose to go towards the sea from the night market turn left and there will be sign pointing towards the train station. Cross the bridge then exit by the travel information centre side of the overhead bridge. Go straight from there and you will reach the old train station. Then you will be linked to the new station, there are signs. Hopefully when the train station is fully built, the place would be properly linked and demarcated. I took the 1938 train and reach at 2023 at Taipei.

 

Thats all for day 2!